October 1st, 2017
September destroyed the previous September monthly record for total box office take, with $800 million or so (we won’t know the exact figure until after the weekend), which tops 2016’s record of $616 million. Granted, this is almost entirely due to It’s record breaking run, and the rest of the month was merely average. Kingsman: The Golden Circle was the only other film to come close to $100 million. October doesn’t look any better, as far as depth is concerned. Blade Runner 2049 is widely expected to be the biggest hit of the month, but it is the only film expected to reach $100 million domestically. Boo 2 should be the second biggest hit of the month, while there are only a couple of other films that have a shot at $50 million. Part of the problem is the level of competition, as there are 16 films opening during the four October weekends. (Needless to say, some of the predictions below will be a little short, as there’s not much to say about a film that will barely open in the top ten and disappear two weeks later.) That’s way too many and most will be buried by the competition. Last October was a flop, as no film earned more than $100 million at the box office. There were a few films that came close, including the original Boo! movie. As long as Blade Runner 2049 matches expectations, 2017 should win the year-over-year comparison by a small margin. If we get one surprise hit, then 2017 has a real shot at closing the gap with 2016 by a significant margin. I choose to be cautiously optimistic.
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August 19th, 2014
There are a number of big releases on this week's list, especially if you like TV on DVD. However, there are not a lot of releases in total. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is the biggest release by a wide margin, but it is not the best. For that honor, I would have to chose Boardwalk Empire: Season 4 on Blu-ray.
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August 18th, 2014
A Brony Tale is not the first documentary about the Brony phenomenon. What is a Brony? It's a older male fan of My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic, a cartoon I previously reviewed. Will this documentary appeal to Bronies? Will it help others understand the appeal of the show? Will it convert some viewers into Bronies?
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